Kik Buys Israeli Video Chat Platform Rounds

January 26, 2017 | Canadian chat platform Kik Interactive has acquired the Israel-based group video chat platform Rounds. Rounds’s 35 employees in Israel will become part of Kik’s development center in Tel Aviv. Rounds was founded in 2008 by CEO Dany Fishel and COO Ilan Leibovich. The company has raised $24 million to date from Sequoia, Samsung Ventures, Rhodium, Verizon, DFJ’s Tim Draper and other invesrtors. No financial details about the acquisition were disclosed but sources in Israel believe Kik will be paying about $60-80 million. Rounds merges communication and entertainment together into a fun interactive video chat experience by enabling up to 12 friends to simultaneously video chat while experiencing activities together such as watching videos, playing games, sharing photos, and more. Rounds has more than 40 million users.